Chilled food counter and method for making

ABSTRACT

A food counter useful in displaying ready-to-eat foods is constructed to have a chilled top for providing an aesthetic frost layer and for maintaining the food products at a desired temperature. Removable barriers and fixtures are used during pouring procedure using liquid mastic and removed once the mastic has cured, thus eliminating the need for costly metal forming of the counter. Fabricating one food counter includes providing a planar member having an opening therein sized for receiving a food receptacle, securing a fixture to the member for a masking the opening, placing a refrigeration line proximate a lower surface of the top member sufficient for frosting the upper surface thereof during refrigerant fluid flow through the line, applying a thermally resistant material onto the lower surface for covering the refrigerating line, and removing the fixture prior to assembling the member with a pan assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application incorporates by reference and claims the benefits of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/333,339 for “Chilled Food Counter And Method For making” having filing date Nov. 26, 2001 and commonly owned with the instant application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention is directed to a construction for a counter useful in displaying ready-to-eat food products such as salad ingredients and fruits (commonly referred to as “salad bars”), and in particular to a construction that is designed to have a chilled top for providing an aesthetic frost layer and for maintaining the food products at a desired temperature which is lower than the ambient temperature.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Self service salad and food bars are well known and popular in many restaurants for displaying such food products in an attractive setting including an aesthetic frosted layer on surfaces surrounding the food product being displayed. As illustrated by way of example with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,143, refrigerant conduit is typically placed underneath a frost top unit and attached to the lower surface while following a path generally adjacent openings within the frost top unit that carry food containers. As further illustrated, the refrigerant conduit is secured to the top unit typically by a welding or tacking process, often without covering the conduit chilling the top surface. If a covering material is provided, it is typically provided between surface walls that secure the material in place, as illustrated by way of further example with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,807. It is well known to form a flange around the opening by welding metal strips to act as a dam during the pouring of thermally conductive material that will ultimately set and be held in place on its own. The time and costs associated with attaching the strips that only serve to hold the material in place when in its liquid state adds unnecessary cost to the construction of the food counter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] In view of the foregoing background, the present invention seeks to reduce costs in making a food counter while enhancing the displaying of food product with a desirable frosted surrounding. A chilled counter construction in accordance with the present invention utilizes a stainless steel or other suitable metal top member which has a plurality of openings that extend through the top member and which are dimensioned to receive food receptacles of a corresponding shape.

[0005] In accordance with the present invention, a top member is provided with polyethylene barrier strips around a periphery of the lower surface to act as a dam for thermally resistant filler material. Refrigeration lines are fixed to the lower surface of the top member in a circuitous route about each of the openings in the top. Polyethylene fixtures are inserted in each of the openings to serve as a mask during the deposition of the filler material. While in liquid form, the filler material is then deposited over the lower surface of the top member and over the refrigeration lines, thus acting as a barrier for cooling. This allows the refrigeration lines in direct contact with the lower surface of the top member to be more effective in generating the frosted top surfaces for cooling temperatures are more readily transferred to the top member. The filler material in its liquids form is then allowed to harden. The upper and lower polyethylene fixtures are removed from the openings once the filler material is in its hardened state.

[0006] For one embodiment of the invention, herein described by way of example, a pan assembly comprising an upper pan liner and a lower pan wrapper are provided with a suitable insulation material between the liner and the wrapper. Styrofoam may be one suitable insulation material. The pan assembly is then joined together with the top member in a facile assembled constructed. A plurality of posts extends from the lower surface of a top member and is used to engage the pan assembly, as more fully described below.

[0007] A method aspect of the invention includes fabricating a food counter useful in displaying food products in a frosted environment comprising the steps of providing a planar member having an opening therein sized for receiving a food receptacle, securing a fixture to the member for a masking the opening, placing a refrigeration line proximate a lower surface of the top member sufficient for frosting the upper surface thereof during refrigerant fluid flow through the line, applying a thermally resistant material onto the lower surface for covering the refrigerating line, and then removing the fixture for a subsequent assembling of the member with the pan assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] A preferred embodiment of the invention, as well as alternate embodiments, is herein described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0009]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention illustrating a food counter carried by a display cabinet;

[0010]FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a top member of the food counter in accordance with the present invention during a first intermediate fabrication step;

[0011]FIG. 3 is bottom perspective view of the top member of FIG. 1 in a second intermediate fabrication step;

[0012]FIG. 3A is a top perspective view of a portion of the top member of FIG. 2;

[0013]FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the top member during a later fabrication step illustrating installed refrigeration lines and installation of removable fixtures for masking openings within the top member;

[0014]FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the construction illustrated with reference to FIG. 4 taken along the lines 5-5.

[0015]FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of the top member after curing of a filler material and during removal of the masking fixtures;

[0016]FIGS. 7 and 8 are bottom and top perspective views, respectively, of portions of the top member after removal of a barrier strip carried along the periphery during the pouring of the filler material in its liquid state;

[0017]FIG. 9 is an inverted perspective view of a pan liner used in the construction;

[0018]FIG. 10 is an inverted perspective view of a completed pan construction with a pan outer wrapper mated with the pan liner;

[0019]FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of a finished counter construction with the details of the cured filler material and the refrigeration lines omitted; and

[0020]FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the food counter FIG. 11 taken along lines 10-10 of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

[0022] One embodiment of the present invention, herein described by way of example with reference initially to FIG. 1, includes a counter 10 carried by a food display cabinet 12. The counter 10 includes a generally planar top member 14 designed to have a chilled upper surface 16 for providing an aesthetic frost layer. The construction details and the method of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2-10. As illustrated with reference to FIG. 2, the top member 14 comprises the upper surface 12 viewed when the counter 10 is typically carried as earlier illustrated with reference to FIG. 1, and an opposing lower surface 18, as illustrated with reference to FIG. 3. A first side 20 with an opposing second side 22 and further a first end 24 with an opposing second end 26 defines the top member 14. Preferably, the top member 10 is fabricated from stainless steel or another, similar highly thermally conductive material. With continued reference to FIG. 2, the embodiment herein described by way of example, contains an upward bend, also referred to as a break 28 positioned generally along and inside the peripheral edge 30 of the top member 14.

[0023] The top member 14 has a plurality of openings 32 formed therein that are dimensioned and adapted for receiving food receptacles 34 having various shapes herein illustrated by way of example with reference again to FIGS. 1 and 2. Although not required, the top member 14 may further include a raised section 36 formed within the top member being a single sheet or alternatively from a separate sheet welded into a corresponding opening in the top member 14, which raised section 36 also includes corresponding food receptacle openings 32.

[0024] With reference again to FIG. 3 and to FIG. 3A, a plurality of posts 38 are spaced along and fitted to the top member 14. The posts 38 provide structural support to the entire construction and serve as a standoff between a pan assembly and the top member 14, as discussed further below. As will be well understood by one of skill in the art, the top member 14 is cleaned.

[0025] With reference now to FIG. 4, the top member 14 is provided with a barrier strip 40 about the peripheral edge 30 and on the lower surface 18. For the embodiment herein described by way of example, the barrier strip 40 is formed from a polyethylene material. As further illustrated in FIG. 4, the top member 14 is fitted with a pair of refrigeration lines 42, 43 that are fastened by conventional means to the lower surface 18 of the top member 14 in a circuitous path around each of the openings 32 within the top member. Before or after installation of the refrigeration lines 42, 43, each opening 32 in the top member 14 is fitted with a pair of corresponding first and second fixtures 44, 46 that will mask the respective opening 32 during deposition of a filler material, described below. The first and second fixtures 44, 46 capture an edge portion about the perimeter of the opening 32. By way of example with reference again to FIG. 4, there is shown masking fixtures 44 and 46, which are held in place in a corresponding opening 32 using a threaded bolt 48 extending into the fixture 44 and a threaded sleeve 50 in the fixture 46.

[0026] With reference now made to FIG. 5 and by way of example, an appropriate thermally resistive material, such as mastic, is deposited uniformly over the lower surface 18 when the top member 14 is positioned generally level as illustrated with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 having the lower surface 18 facing upward. The mastic, in a liquid state 52, is poured onto the lower surface 18, as illustrated with reference again to FIG. 5, to approximately the height or to the top surface 54 of the peripherally positioned barrier strip 40, and allowed to cure.

[0027] After curing, the masking fixtures, such as fixtures 44 and 46, are removed from each of the openings 32 in the top member 14, as illustrated with reference to FIG. 6. Removing all the fixtures from their respective openings 32 results in the top member 14 as illustrated with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 having the hardened, cured mastic 56 secured in place for covering the refrigeration lines 43, 43 and the barrier strip 40 and fixtures 44, 46 removed. At this stage, the top member 14 is ready to for assembly with a pan liner 58, as illustrated with reference to FIG. 9.

[0028] In a separate operation, and with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, a pan assembly 57 is fabricated for joinder with the top member 14 illustrated with reference to FIG. 11. With reference initially to FIGS. 9 and 10, the pan assembly 57 includes the pan liner 58 herein defined by first and second opposing sides 60, 62 as well as first and second opposing ends 64, 66. The pan liner 58 also includes corresponding openings 68 for receiving the posts 38 described earlier with reference to FIG. 3. As illustrated with reference to FIG. 11, a pan wrapper 70 herein defined by opposing sides 72, 74 and opposing ends 76, 78 is fitted over the pan liner 50 and attached thereto as illustrated with reference to FIG. 10. An appropriate insulation material 74, such as Styrofoam is installed and carried between the pan liner 58 and the wrapper 70. As with the liner 58, the wrapper 70 includes corresponding openings 68, for receiving the posts 38.

[0029] With reference again to FIG. 11, the pan liner 58 and pan wrapper 70 in an assembly are attached, with fasteners 80, or with welds 82 at the lower surface 18, and the post 38 is welded at appropriate locations to the pan liner 58, as illustrated by way of example with reference to FIG. 12. An appropriate drain 84 is centrally fitted into the pan liner through an opening 85 in the pan wrapper 70.

[0030] The resulting construction may be fabricated in a facile manner, by way of example within an opening 86 in a top surface 88 of the food display cabinet 12, as illustrated with reference again to FIGS. 1 and 12 to provide a chilled counter top particularly suited for use in a salad bar and similar installations at restaurants, supermarkets and the like 

That which is claimed is:
 1. A method of fabricating a food counter useful in displaying food products in a refrigerated environment, the fabricating comprising the steps of: providing a top member having a plurality of openings therein sized for receiving food receptacles, the top member defined by an upper surface and a lower surface; positioning the top member with the lower surface facing generally upward for receiving a liquid to be poured thereon; placing a refrigeration line, onto the lower surface and extending the refrigeration line around the plurality of openings within the top member sufficient for frosting the upper surface when refrigeration fluid is carried therein during the displaying of the food products; cleaning the top member; securing a first fixture to a second fixture for each of the plurality of openings while capturing an edge portion of the top member for masking each opening; extending a barrier strip along the periphery of the top member, the barrier strip and fixtures forming channels carrying the refrigeration line; leveling the top member; pouring a filler material into the channels for covering the refrigeration line; hardening the filler material; removing the plurality of fixtures and barrier strip after the curing step; and providing a pan assembly dimensioned for mating with the top member; attaching the lower surface of the top member to a pan assembly, the top member having the refrigeration line secured to the lower surface thereof within the filler material.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the top member providing step comprises the steps of providing a planar steel member having a plurality of openings of varying shapes therein.
 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of providing a raised section within the top member, the raised section having a plurality of openings therein.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the refrigeration line placing step includes the step of securing the refrigeration line to the lower surface.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the barrier strip extending step comprises removably securing a polyethylene barrier strip entirely around the periphery of the top member along the lower surface thereof.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filler material pouring step comprises the steps of mixing a component encapsulating compounds for providing a liquid filler material capable of curing to a hardened state.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the filler material comprises mastic curable from a liquid state to a hardened state.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second fixture securing step comprises the step of bolting the first fixture to the second fixture with the portion of the top member proximate the periphery of the opening being biased therebetween.
 9. The method according to claim 1, the pan assembly providing step comprises the steps of: providing a pan liner; placing an insulating material around a surface of the pan liner; and securing a pan wrapper to the pan liner, wherein the insulating material is carried therebetween.
 10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of fixing a plurality of posts extending from the lower surface to the pan assembly.
 11. A method of fabricating a food counter useful in displaying food products in a frosted environment, the fabricating comprising the steps of: providing a top member having a plurality of openings therein sized for receiving food receptacles; securing a fixture to the top member at each of the plurality of openings for a masking thereof; placing a refrigeration line onto a lower surface of the top member sufficient for frosting the upper surface thereof during refrigerant fluid flow through the line; applying a thermally resistant material onto the lower surface for covering the refrigerating line; removing the fixture from each of the plurality of openings; and attaching the lower surface of the top member to a pan assembly.
 12. The method according to claim 11, thermally resistant applying step comprises the steps of: mixing a component encapsulating compounds for providing a liquid filler material capable of curing to a hardened state; leveling the top member with the lower surface facing upward; pouring the filler material onto the lower surface; and allowing the filler material to the hardened state.
 13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the fixture securing step comprises the step of securing a first fixture to a second fixture for each of the plurality of openings while capturing an edge portion of the top member defining each opening.
 14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of extending a barrier strip along the periphery of the top member, the barrier strip and fixtures forming channels carrying the refrigeration line therein.
 15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of securing the refrigeration line to the lower surface prior to the thermally resistive material applying step.
 16. A method of fabricating a food counter useful in displaying food products in a frosted environment, the fabricating comprising the steps of: providing a planar member having an opening therein sized for receiving a food receptacle; securing a fixture to the member for a masking the opening; placing a refrigeration line proximate a lower surface of the top member sufficient for frosting the upper surface thereof during refrigerant fluid flow through the line; applying a thermally resistant material onto the lower surface for covering the refrigerating line; and removing the fixture.
 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the material applying step comprises the step of applying a mastic.
 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the mastic applying step comprises the steps of: mixing component encapsulating compounds for providing a liquid filler material capable of curing to a hardened state; leveling the member with the lower surface facing upward; pouring the filler material onto the lower surface; and allowing the filler material to harden.
 19. The method according to claim 16 wherein the fixture securing step comprises the step of securing a first fixture to a second fixture to the member for the masking thereof.
 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first and second fixture securing step comprises the step of bolting the first fixture to the second fixture with a portion of the member proximate the periphery of the opening being biased therebetween.
 21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of extending a barrier strip along the periphery of the member, the barrier strip and fixture forming a channel carrying the refrigeration line therein, wherein the fixture removing step includes removing the barrier strip.
 22. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of attaching the member to a pan assembly.
 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the pan assembly attaching step comprises the steps of: providing a pan liner; placing an insulating material around a surface of the pan liner; securing a pan wrapper to the pan liner, wherein the insulating material is carried therebetween; and attaching the pan liner and wrapper combination to the member. 